Beech 99 incident near Tampa, Florida, December 21, 1987
On December 21, 1987 at about 3:02 am local time, a Beech 99, registered N6724D, suffered minor damage in an incident near Tampa, Florida (Tampa Intl. airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 21, 1987 · about 3:02 am local time
- Place
- Tampa, Florida · Tampa Intl. · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 99 · all 99s on the register
- Registration
- N6724D · registry record · serial U215
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE COMMUTER AIR CARRIER CREW RECEIVED AN UNSAFE NOSE GEAR INDICATION ON FINAL APPROACH. THE APPROACH WAS ABANDONED AND ALL EFFORTS TO USE THE EMERGENCY EXTENSION PROCEDURES WERE TO NO AVAIL. THE CREW SECURED BOTH ENGINES ON FINAL AND LANDED NOSE GEAR UP. EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT ALL HYDRAULIC PRESURE WAS LOST DUE TO A RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR ACTUATOR END CAP FAILING IN FATIGUE.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,200 hours in all; 180 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 11,000 lb
- Seats: 12
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air New Orleans
The flight
- Departed from: PFN Panama City FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 9, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 120° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:10 am from TPA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N6724D the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.